Blood Banking. 4 Credit Hours

Catalog description

This elective is to acquaint the student with transfusion practices including the collection, manufacture, indications, dosage, expected benefits and risks of the different blood components, as well as the performance of therapeutic apheresis. The student will also be exposed to basic immuno-hematology and blood-banking techniques of acquiring, processing, testing, and transfusing blood components. Under the direction of the pathologist, a transfusion medicine fellow, a pathology resident, and a technical specialist in blood banking, the student will be required to perform basic techniques, participate in resolving the problems of patients having difficulties in transfusion, and evaluate the appropriateness of transfusion. The elective can be tailored to offer more experience in transfusion practices for patient care or in organization, management, quality control, and other factors important to the student who may consider laboratory medicine as a chosen field. Students are required to participate in consultations, education programs offered by the blood bank and expected to do a brief presentation at the Clinical Pathology Laboratory Medicine Report didactic conference. This elective is available to second year students after they have completed their preclinical coursework. Permission is required to register.